Step 1: Get Informed

Step 1 involves understanding the hazards that face you and your family in your particular community. Different parts of the state and country face very different natural and manmade hazards. Below is a list of Internet resources on how to determine and monitor many hazards that may affect the area you live in, and also how to prepare for each of these hazards.

Helpful Resources

Websites to get informed and stay informed:

NOAA – A website created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that monitors natural and some manmade hazards throughout the United States. Go here for climate information, current and forecasted weather, flood information and river levels, as well as many other hazards.

USGS: Maine Information – A website run by the United States Geological Survey that holds information about earthquakes, floods, and droughts in Maine. Here you can find up-to-date water flow information for rivers in your area, as well as information on how often the river you live by floods.

MEMA: NWS General Weather Information – A website sponsored by the Maine Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service that provides climate information, weather forecasts, and other weather-related information for specific areas of the state.

USGS Natural Hazards Gateway – A website maintained by the United States Geological Survey that has information about tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, landslides, and earthquakes. This site explains where these events are most likely to happen, how often these events occur, and why.

Red Cross Preparedness Guide – An American Red Cross guide to preparing for an emergency. This site includes hazard-specific preparedness ideas to help you gear up for specific natural hazards that you may face.

Maine DOT Travel Information Service – A website maintained by the Maine Department of Transportation that pinpoints current road hazards (e.g., accidents and road surface conditions) for the entire state of Maine.

Jon Jennings

Thank you to those who have expressed a wish to volunteer your time and services in helping us as we support asylum seekers arriving in Portland. Thanks to our friends at the United Way of Greater Portland, we now have a way to accept volunteers. Read on...